“Binodddd…” — when the character of ‘Banrakas’ calls out this name, Panchayat fans know that drama is about to ensue. Recently, actor Ashok Pathak, who plays Binod in Panchayat, opened up about the value of looks when it comes to bagging roles in Hindi films. Ashok shared an experience where he was asked to get a facial and brighten his face in order to land a part in a big-budget film.
Speaking to India Today, Ashok described the audition as “smooth.” However, he admitted that despite a good audition, he wasn’t getting the final call. He said, “I would not like to name the film, but it was a big-budget one. My audition was done, and my role was a major one in that project. Everything was going smoothly, but I wasn’t getting the final call. I had met the director and producer, but no one had called me for nearly a week. I thought maybe there was some requirement in terms of looks for that role, possibly something to do with the poster.”
Ashok recalled getting a call — not to confirm his role — but to ask him to get a facial done. He recalled, “I got a call where they said, ‘Why don’t you go to a beauty parlour and get a facial done?’ I was told there should be some shine and charm on my face. Deep down, I knew nothing would change, yet I went to the parlour and got a facial done.” The actor revealed that he even resorted to home remedies to brighten his face.
Ashok admitted that while he would tell people that he was working on his appearance, in reality, he didn’t put in much effort. He said, “That was a tough time for me because I could see others giving auditions in front of me and getting selected.”
Ashok shared that while many actors auditioned for the same role, nothing stood out for the makers apart from his performance. “They couldn’t find anyone who could deliver what the makers were expecting. And then, they took me as I was. I feel that if your work is clean and up to the mark, they can compromise with looks because they don’t compromise with talent.”
The actor also took Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s example and spoke about how the Gangs of Wasseypur star now often graces magazine covers, despite initially facing restrictions because of his looks. He said, “If you look at Nawazuddin Siddiqui, he used to look very different initially, and now he’s on magazine covers too.”
Panchayat Season 4 was released last month. While it received mixed reviews from critics, the show continues to remain popular among fans. Apart from Ashok Pathak, the latest season also features Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Durgesh Kumar, and Sunita Rajwar in key roles.
